For nearly a decade, director Jay O’Berski wanted to stage at Duke the Russian play “The Lower Depths” by Maxim Gorky. Written in 1902, the play follows a group of Russian derelicts living in a flophouse as they cope with the bleak reality of their condition. When he got the chance to direct the play this semester, O’Berski decided to set it not in Russia but in Lagos, Nigeria – and to do so with a minimal budget.

The gray plastic camera had just one button to push and no settings to adjust except for a ring on the lens for light and dark. The Big Shot, with a focal length fixed at three feet, was ideal for Warhol to use as studies for his famous portraits on canvas.

The music of Ghana comes to Duke this week. The campus will host a screening of a documentary film directed by Steven Feld, a public talk with Feld and a musical performance by master Ghanaian percussionist Nii Otoo Annan.

As a part of the Duke Student Arts Initiative, Duke University's Office of the Vice Provost for the Arts is hosting a campus-wide Student Arts Showcase to be held on Friday, Nov. 6 and Saturday, Nov. 7 in the Bryan Center on Duke's West Campus. There will be a dinner on Friday night allowing students to network with Duke Alumni: register here.

All student artists on campus are invited to submit their work for exhibition. Submissions will be displayed, performed, or screened in a public exhibit on the Bryan Center Plaza and in the Bryan Center. Additionally, a jury of students and arts department faculty will select works of visual art for exhibition in the Bryan Center’s Louise Jones Brown Gallery – a gallery that traditionally exhibits the work of professional artists – through the month of November.

Works of all media will be accepted, including but not limited to: painting, photography, poetry, sculpture, mixed media, digital art, animation, film, music, and video. Prizes will be awarded to the works selected as Best of Show.

-- The deadline for submitting performing arts media is Friday, Oct. 16, 2009.
-- The deadline for submitting visual media is Friday, Oct. 23, 2009.
-- Limit of 2 artworks or recordings per student.
-- Please submit digital images, text or recordings of your work to: arts.duke@gmail.com. Include your name, year, email, the title of the piece and the genre (e.g., photography) you are submitting.
-- Submit video entries via YouTube or another publicly accessible video-sharing site. Alternatively, you may bring a CD to 117 Allen Building (Box 90006).
-- Music and other dynamic media should be formatted as mp4 or mp3 files.
-- Visual artwork must be physically present on campus by the end of October.
-- Visual artwork should be prepared/framed in the way in which the student would like it to be displayed. 2-D pieces should be capable of being hung.
-- Should you experience technical issues with submissions, please contact Danette Clark at 919-684-0540.

Special thanks to:

William Benesh, External Vice President, Duke University Union

Lisa Gao, Chairperson, Duke University Union Visual Arts Committee

Will Passo, Vice President for Durham and Regional Affairs, Duke Student Government

Janicanne Shane, Program Coordinator, Office of Student Activities and Facilities